It's all horses for courses to be honest. I preferred all my Turbo 2000s to the STI 03 I made the mistake of buying in 2003... for day to day driving it was awful and hugely unreliable to boot. That said others may find completely the opposite. We just don;t all like the same thing.

I do think a lot of people make the mistake of correlating big power and on paper performance with being a better/more fun car. The most fun car I ever owned was an S1 Elise at that had a paltry 118bhp. Followed by a DC2 Integra Type R. Again not especially powerful.

 

Completely right f1_fan, my scoob isn't much fun. If anything its a pain in the *** and a ball ache most of the time. But when you stomp on the loud pedal it does make the hassle worth while.

The most fun I had was definitely in my rover 25gti, mainly due to the lack of hassle. It isn't a nightmare like the scoob,

Checking the meth, checking the levels etc, then the whole uncomfort with the cage and harness' etc. It is fun when your out in it. But its the stress of getting it out lol

 

Plus the V4 has a different turbo, but normally as said above Rust

 

Which relates to what i was saying about the WRX vs STI, it's not all about top end umph, compliance, drivability, suitability and usability for the environment it lives in play a huge part.

I also have a 1.4 Rover 25 that is quite fun to drive, due to light weight, wide track and long gears, it's by no means rapid, but it has half decent handling and loves to rev, and is very chuckable, ok i know it's crap but i only paid £800 3yrs ago and it's not worth half that now, but it still manages to put a smile on my face and no matter how hard i try, i can't seem to break it.

 

Don't worry the head gasket will pop soon if you try hard enough

I had a 214si coupe not long after I passed my test....until the Cam belt snapped and then it was game over

 

Yep, VF23 and a VF24 I believe. Almost identical anyway except the 23 is slightly larger exhaust side.

 

I thought they were the same cam's, same profile, just the V3 had one line through it, the V4 2?.

 

Quote ditchmyster

"What about, engine oil cooler, gearbox oil cooler, quick rack, lightweight seats, 12L water bottle, front subframe delete, big port heads, seam welded"

Thats just off the top of my head, sorry mate but it's in a different league to uk cars."

I'm gonna get a spec c impreza cos it has a 12l water bottle. Always wanted one of those lol

 

+1 I agree also

My v4 impreza sti was a good car but reliability was not the best by a long shot in the end the head gasket blow and I just had enough at that point
then I went back to a civic type R and it is so reliable ever time I start it up I dont have a care in the world to it breaking down as it never skips a beat.
It is really good as when driving normaly it just potters away when driving around with my family in the car with a slight exhaust note and when I go out in it myself and floor the right pedal it comes alive with a massive exhaust note and really starts putting power down

 

It's what i call a throw away car. when my mrs used to drive it she was under strict instructions not to take it to a garage if it broke, just leave the keys in and get a taxi.

 

So the only difference in turbos between the blob spec c and the blob JDM STI is BB as opposed to sleave because both turbos flow the same amount of air(430cfm)

I'm finding it hard to believe that the quick rack and BB turbo can change the driving dynamics that much.

 

Isn't the Spec C "lightweight"?

 

Yep

 

Yes, not sure how many kilos lighter.....even still, its mentioned that the spec c is a totally different drive to the equivalent model year JDM sti, surely there must be more in it than the two things I mentioned and some weight saving to make such a difference....

 

The correct Spec-C brochure is over on typera.com

If you can read Japanese

 

It depends what model year the brochure is for crygo. From what I've read the MY06/07 cars had even more weight stripped from them with the addition of lightweight roof and boot lid.

 

I think the quoted kerb weight for my Spec C in standard trim is 1310 kgs.

 

whats a standard sti?

 

IMPREZA SPEC C
Welcome to Impreza Spec C .co.uk.
The Spec-C achieves the max torque of 39.2kg by improving the turbocharger and cylinder exhaust efficiency.
Compared to the Impreza WRX STi type RA, Impreza WRX STi spec C is about 90kg lighter through the adaptation of lighter glass, and thinner roof construction and a trunk lid.
A rear crossbar has been fitted to further improve body rigidity.
The turbocharger in the Impreza WRX STi spec C uses precise ball bearings in the shaft to reduce friction, thereby offering a smooth and speedy turbo boost and providing ideal engine response.
Large water reservoir for the intercooler water spray as well as an air-cooled engine oil cooler have been implemented to ensure stable engine performance.

 

I'm not 100% sure but isn't it around 1430/1450 kgs?

 

120kg difference?

 

All this talk of spec c's,,,,,, its an RA R you want !!!!

 

Dont think they are that light in standard trim. More like 1360 compared to normal sti at circa 1450.

 

That's for MY06/07 cars.

 

To complicate things even further the are also lightweight versions of the Spec C as well.

The Spec C models also got heavier as the years progressed as well.

 

Far too complicated, buy a rusty TypeR instead!

 

Read the below.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct...43148975,d.ZWU

Ok that's a rally prepared group N car but it gives you an idea.

 

Well rust is lighter than metal, which makes your type r the lightest type r in the country

 

Lol

 

WRX-RA is the lightest one they did at 1130kg
Sti ra is a bit heavier but not sure how much
Bug Spec-C RA is the lightest Newage
My Spec-c Limited is booked at 1370kg, comes with aircon, elecy windows, central locking but had it on a weigh bridge with quarter of a tank of fuel and about 3lt in the water tank, No spare or tools and it came in at 1335kg and I have a 7" DVD and 5 gauges in the car too, Like I said jay it's all the small things, lightness, steering, different front arms, seam welded struts, different springs, better turbo, better cooling...

UK blob Sti is 1470kg

Gaz.